Point Defense Cannons

Category

item

First appears

Book 1 · Ch. 11

Books

2

Point Defense Cannons (PDCs) are the rapid-fire, computer-targeted guns that form the last line of defense for warships throughout The Expanse, shredding incoming torpedoes and threats at close range. In Leviathan Wakes they become central to the Rocinante's survival, as Alex and the crew learn to rely on the stolen Martian corvette's PDCs in desperate engagements. By Caliban's War their role expands to fleet-scale battles, where automated targeting systems can engage torpedoes at extreme range, and their limits are tested against the inhuman speed and resilience of the protomolecule hybrid.